Free & Easy Travel to HANOI & Halong Bay

The Wan family & siblings enjoying our cruise at Halong Bay , Vietnam - a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Standing - elder sister, Lai Meng, Younger brother, Heng Wan
Sitting - wife, Sow Lan, Son, Wai Yan, Daughter, Po Yee, younger sister, Lai Ling & myself, HK Wan

Date of Visit: 24th to 28th May 2008.

This was the first time we were visited Hanoi, Vietnam. Now that Air Asia also fly to Ho Chi Minh, we intend to travel to HCM in our next few travels. My elder brother, Heng Wah & his friend visited Hanoi in 2006 when the only cheap budget flights available then was Tiger Airlines of Singapore. My elder sister-in-law, Doreen also visited Hanoi early 2008. Both my elder brother & his wife strongly recommended me to visit Hanoi. As usual, when there was a special offer of RM 48/sector, I immediately contacted my elder sister (Lai Meng), younger brother (Heng Wan), younger sister (Lai Ling) and managed to book 4 special offer returned seats to Hanoi during the 2nd term school holidays. Our first option was to travel during the holidays so that my younger sister; a teacher could join us.

Subsequently, when there was another offer by Air Asia to Hanoi, I booked another 2 seats for my wife (Sow Lan) and son (Wai Yan). Finally, when my daughter (Po Yee) who was studying in Purdue University, Indiana, USA returned for the 3 months semester break, I booked the 7th ticket to Hanoi at normal prices.
We flew via Air Asia Flight AK 760 at 6.30am and arrived 10 minutes ahead of scheduled at Noi Bai Airport, Hanoi at 8.40am. We have had pre-arranged with The Golden Sun Hotel to pick us up from the airport. The Golden Sun Hotel at 23, Hang Hanh, Old Quarters was highly recommended by my elder sister-in-law, who stayed here earlier. It is slightly more than 1 year old and it took us less than 2 minutes walk to the weekend night market or the Hoan Kiem Lake. The cost of our accomodation was USD 30/double room and USD 36/triple room with breakfast provided at the 7th Floor Restaurant. From this restaurant, the beautiful and scenic Hoan Kiem Lake can be viewed here (refer to enclosed photograph). The hotel has 14 rooms and comes with free internet lan cable access. In addition, there were 3 computers with free internet access available for their guests at the lobby. The Golden Sun hotel was part of a chain of 4 hotels within the old quarters of Hanoi, i.e. the Golden Sun Hotel, the recently completed (2007) the Loyalty Hotel (just 2 doors away), the Orchid Hotel and the Hanoi Guesthouse. The manager of these 4 lodging outlets, Ms. Moon was helpful and friendly and likewise the rest of the staff of this hotel.

After checking-in, we had a rest since we woke up at 3.00am to board the 6.30am flight. Later, we watched the 5.15pm pm Thang Long Water Puppet Show which was about 10 minutes walk from the hotel. The cost of the tickets was 40,000 dongs per person. I would strongly recommend you to see the water puppet show whenever you are in Vietnam. It was a theatrical puppet performance on water manoeuvered via by a system of underground poles, strings, rods, etc. and accompanied with classical Vietnamese music, singers, etc. The puppeteers stand in waist deep water, their puppetry skills were screened from the audience. Poetry, fireworks and the watery reflections of the brilliantly coloured puppets, combined with splashing sounds and the alluring music of bamboo flutes, drums, bells and single-string violins to entertain the audience to a world of fishermen and villagers; kings & generals on boats, beautiful princesses; water buffaloes, fishes, monkey, and ducks; magic turtle and fire-breathing sea-dragons, etc. The Vietnamese water puppet skills dated back to the Ly Dynasty in the 11th century. The show was very enjoyable and entertaining; you can rarely watch them in our country, Malaysia, although it was available once during the Vietnam Festival Promotion held at the tourist cum casino resort at the Genting Highlands.


Photograph of my family taken at Hoan Kiem Lake or Lake of the Restored Sword, Hanoi

After the water puppet show, we walked to Hoan Kiem Lake (Vietnamese: Hồ Hoàn Kiếm, meaning "Lake of the Returned Sword" or "Lake of the Restored Sword". It is a lake within the historical old quarters (also known as Hoan Kiem District) of Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam. The lake is one of the major scenic spots in the city and serves as a focal point for public life.
Tortoise Tower (Thap Rua) in the center of the lake. According to the legend, Emperor Le Loi handed a magic sword called Heaven's Will which brought him victory in his revolt against the Chinese Ming Dynasty back to the Golden Turtle God (Kim Qui) in the lake and hence gave it its present name (the lake was formerly known as "Luc Thuy" meaning "Green Water"). The Tortoise Tower (Thap Rua) standing on a small island near the center of lake was linked to the legend.

Near the northern shore of the lake lies Jade Island on which the Ngoc Son Temple (Jade Mountain Temple) stood. The temple was erected in the 18th century. It honoured the 13-century military leader Tran Hung Dao, a 13th century leader who fought successful wars against the Nguyen. This temple also venerated Van Xuong, the God of Literature as well as La To (a physician) who distinguished himself in the fight against the Yuan Dynasty. The renovations of 1865 were carried out by Nguyen Van Sieu, a famous writer who also commissioned a large pen-shaped tower at the entrance of the temple. Jade Island was connected to the shore by the wooden red-painted Huc Bridge (The Huc, meaning Morning Sunlight Bridge).

The lake is the city's most popular strolling ground and a lovers' lane at night with couples locked in embrace on benches or parked motorbikes looking out over the placid waters, the shadows of overhanging willows cast by moonlight. In the morning the lake area is crowded with folks out for their morning exercise running or walking in a counter clockwise circle around the lake or joining in with the many tai chi, martial arts, calisthenics, aerobics, and even ballroom dancing groups that meet in the open areas at water's edge.

Photograph of my family taken in front of Ngoc Son Temple or Jade Mountain Temple, Hoan Kiem Lake

An aerial view of Hoan Kiem Lake taken from 7th floor Restaurant of Golden-Sun Hotel.

Halong Bay (Vietnamese: Vinh Ha Long) or Bay of the Descending Dragon was listed by UNESCO at the 18th meeting of the Committee of the World Heritages on 17 December 1994 at Phuket, Thailand. It consisted of thousands of limestone karsts and islands in various sizes and shapes. The bay has a 120 kilometre long coastline and is approximately 1553 sq. km. in size with 1969 islets. The area designated by UNESCO as the World Natural Heritage Site includes 434 sq. kilometres in size with 775 islets. Several of the islets are hollow, with enormous caves. Hang Dau Go (Wooden stakes Cave) is the largest grotto in the Halong area. There are 2 big islands, i.e. Tuan Chau and Cat Ba, both of which have tourist facilities including hotels and beaches.

Halong Bay is perhaps the most popular travel destination of The Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Foreigners and locals alike are attracted to one of the worlds most spectacular natural wonders of limestone & karsts islets.

Cat Ba is an island of approximately 140 sq. kilometres in Halong Bay. It is commonly used as an overnight hotel stop on packaged tours to Halong Bay. It is the largest island in the bay and half of its area is covered by a National Park., Cat Ba Island was recognised by UNESCO in December 2004 as a Biosphere reserve of the world.


Photograph of my family taken at the beach, Catba Island.


The next day, 25 May 2008, the seven of us booked a 2 days/1night Halong Bay & Catba Island Cruise with a night stay at Cat Ba town. The tour was booked through Golden Sun Hotel but organised by AP Travel. It cost us USD 45/person plus a 25% discount for my +9 years son. We left Hanoi at 7.30am and headed for Halong City (with one stop-over) and arrived there just before 11.00 am.

We boarded the M/V 'PHUONG TIN 12" cruise boat for the Halong Bay cruise. There were about 20 tourists on board of various nationalities with the caucasians preferring to stay on the deck and roof of the cruise boat throughout the trip. During the cruise, a fisherman's boat berthed alongside our cruise boat selling live fishes, crabs, shell fish, etc. My daughter. Po Yee fancied her favourite dish, live crabs (after being deprived of them while studying in Indiana, USA) and she purchased five crabs at 200,000 dongs including cooking by the chef. These were served as an additional dish for our lunch consisting mainly of seafood, fish, squids, spring rolls, vegetables, etc. The lunch with the crabs were fresh and delicious.

The cruise continued until we reached a floating fishing village. Here we joined an optional tour @ 50,000 dongs/person for about 30 minutes motor boat visiting the nearby islets, lagoons, cliffs, caves, stalactites, etc. with fishing boats and fishing village cum school nearby. The sceneries were phenomenal. Later, the cruise boat dropped us to visit the Hang Dau Go Caves which was the largest grotto in the Halong area. It has three large chambers and contained large numerous stalactites and stalagmites . We spent about 30 minute visiting and taking photographs inside the caves.

Finally, at about 3.30 pm, the cruise boat "Phuong Tin 12" dropped the seven of us and two more passengers at the Jetty at Cat Ba Island whilst she continued with her cruise to Halong Bay for other passengers who intended to spend the night on board. We preferred to stay at the hotel at Cat Ba. From the jetty, a mini bus took us for a 30 minutes of winding and hilly ride to Cat Ba town. On the way, we passed by the Cat Ba National park which covers about half of Cat Ba Island. The park covers both land and marine areas and has a high biodiversity. The Cat Ba National park was recognised by UNESCO in December 2004 as a Biosphere reserve of the world.

My daughter, son & wife enjoying the cruise at Halong Bay

My daughter & wife eating crabs for lunch on board the cruise vessel, m.v.PHUONG TIN 12

Photograph of my family taken on board the cruise vessel, m.v. "Phuong Tin 12'

My wife & myself enjoying our cruise at one of the scenic spots, Halong Bay

At Cat Ba Island, the tour organiser, AP Travel arranged our lodging at a three star hotel, The Princes; This hotel was reasonably satisfactory but the dinner and breakfast provided were rather basic due to the high inflation cost. After dinner, we walked to Cat Ba town with its illuminated promenade, a large fountain, lighted trees which oversees the bay teeming with small boats, many of which belongs to pearl or shrimp farmers or fishermen. There are numerous cheap hotels, bars, sea food restaurants, souvenir shops, etc. At Cat Ba town, the main road was very wide with hardly any motor cycles unlike Hanoi which was clogged with motor cycles & other vehicles especially in the localities of the weekend night market.

Early next morning at about 6.00am, we walked to Cat Ba beach about a kilometres away. It took us about 20 minutes to reach there. It was rather a small sandy beach at the bottom of the cliffs, you need to walk down scores of steps before you reach the beach. Nearby the beach was Cat Ba's most luxurious resort facing the scenic view of Halong Bay - The Cat Ba Island Resort & Spa. It was probably the best resort in Vietnam. It has well-furnished rooms and a wide range of business and recreational facilities which include waterfalls, water slides, water park, spa and sauna. Formerly it was known as the Catba Water Park Resort.

We left Cat Ba Island at about 8.45am for another boat cruise to Halong City and reached there at about 11.00am. On arrival, we had basic lunch at one of the restaurant owned by the tour operator, AP Travel and thereafter proceeded back to Hanoi, reaching our hotel at about 4.00pm

My family photograph taken at Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Hanoi

My son, wife & daughter - photograph taken at One Pillar Pagoda (built: 1042)

On 27 May 2008, the seven of us took 2 taxis (arranged by the hotel) to Ba Dinh Square and visited the nearby tourist attractions, i.e. Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the Ho Chi Minh Museum, the one pillar pagoda, the Presidential Palace (formerly Residence of the Governor General of Tonkin), Ho Chi Minh House-on-stilts and the surrounding lake, etc. The taxis arranged by the hotel to go there by meter cost us 33,000 dongs each. On the returned trips, we were ripped-off by another two taxis who have manipulated their meters and the journey back to the hotel was 68,000 dongs and 138,000 dongs respectively. I did not argue with the driver and paid him 68,000 dongs. However, my younger brother & sisters refused to pay him 138,000 dongs, instead, they paid him 50,000 dongs and the taxi driver just accepted it without any dispute.

Later in the afternoon, we went on a walking tour of the old quarters, the Dong Xuan market. As the weather was rather hot at 35 celcius and humidity unusually high, we did not have the mood to continue walking as we feel uneasy with profused sweating; we would rather stay in the comfort of our airconditioned rooms. Furthermore, the traffic (especially the motor cycles) was horrible, the old narrow streets of the old quarters were clogged with thousands of vehicles especially motorcycles and a large number of them do no follow traffic rules. According to our tour guide, there are about 2 million motor cycles in Hanoi itself. My wife, son & daughter panicked whenever they cross the busy streets within the old quarters. As for me, I would rather act 'brave' and just walk; pretending not to notice them; they will avoid you, since there are too many of them on the packed road. They can't go fast, they travel slowly and avoid the pedestrians. During our stay at Hanoi and despite the high number of motor cyclists, we have had never seen any accidents involving them.

On the 28 May 2008, my sisters & myself woke up very early and by 5.30am we were strolling at the nearby Hoan Kiem Lake watching Hanoians doing their exercise, strolling, tai chi, line dancing, etc. An hour later, we had our breakfast and at 7.00 am, we bid farewell the the staff of Golden Sun Hotel and headed to Noi Bai Airport for our flight back to LCCT at 9.20am.

Posted by H.K. Wan on 6 June 2008

Email: hengkei@gmail.com

Free and Easy Budget Holidays in Thailand - CHIANGMAI, KANCHANABURI & PHUKET

Photograph of my younger brother, Heng Wan, my elder sister, Lai Meng, myself, HK Wan and my younger sister, Lai Ling taken at the Air Asia check-in counter, Phuket Airport prior to our departure flight to LCCT

1) HOLIDAYS AT PHUKET FROM 8TH TO 11TH MARCH 2008.

There were 4 of us being my elder sister, my younger brother, my younger sister & myself. Our flight to Phuket was at 12.45pm on 8th March 2008, i.e. the same day for the 12th Malaysian General Elections. All 4 of us voted early at about 8.30 am at Chung Kwok Chinese School which was located behind my primary School, Batu Road School, Jalan Raja Laut, Kuala Lumpur.

We were lucky as we still have the time to exercise our voting rights and hardly an hour later, we took the KTM Komuter train from Putra Station to KL Sentral for the bus trip to LCCT for our flight to Phuket. On arrival at Phuket at about 4.45pm, we paid Baht 550 for the taxi ride to our budget hotel, ie. The Phuket Seven Seas Hotel, Kathu, Phuket - a brand new budget hotel @ Baht 1200/twin room per day with free wifi. It was a new hotel with good facilities including swimming pool. We stayed here for three nights.

At night, we walked to the shopping areas of Patong Beach, Carrefour, etc. for shopping, dinner, etc. Before we could returned to our hotel, I received numerous SMS on my mobile informing me of the initial results of the 12th Malaysian General Elections - a political tsunami had taken effect on the evening of Election Day when the initial results were out. We rushed back to the hotel and immediately logged-on to my laptop to various blogsites, e.g. Malaysiakini, malaysia-today as well as messenging with my elder brother, friends, etc. Indeed, a political tsunami has taken place in Malaysia after 50 years of Independence from the British. Firstly, Penang has fallen to the opposition, followed by Kedah, Kelantan, Selangor and finally just after midnight, Perak had also fallen. We were shocked with the wind of change as we do not expect it. The other guests of the hotels mainly caucasian backpackers were amazed at what the 4 Malaysians were so enthusiastic over the laptop screen, unaware that we were monitoring the results of the 12th Malaysian General Elections. We slept very late that night at approx. 1.30pm.

The next day on 9 March 2008, we booked a local tour to the neighbouring province of Phang Nga. It took us about a hour ride north of Phuket and then boarded a long tailed boat to James Bond Island (from the movie "The Man with the Golden Gun") or Ko Tapu. The boat ride was scenic with limestone karsts islands of the Phang Nga Bay. The island was rather small and uninhabited with no tourist accomodation except for a small beach, several expensive tourist souveniers shops, the Phaya Naak Cave and Phuket's famous spectacular rocky pinnacle islet.

Myself - relaxing at James Bond Island with Phuket's famous spectacular rocky pinnacle in the background

After James Bond Island, the boat took us to the floating "Muteara Sea Canoe" for canoeing with inflatable kayaks around the mangrove swamps filled with fauna and flora and passing through
stalacite & stalagmite caves & lagoons, limestone cliffs, etc. We enjoyed the fun canoeing activity as this was our first canoe ride within the eco-friendly natural environment while appreciating the fantastic scenery and natural wonders of Phang Nga Bay.

Later, we proceeded to Gypsy Island or Koh Pannyi for lunch.

My younger brother, myself & my elder sister enjoying lunch at a floating restaurant at Koh Pannyi or Sea Gypsy Island


After lunch, we were taken to the rural interiors of Phang Nga for an ox cart ride, followed by an elephant show, rubber tapping, etc. We did not go for an elephant trekking ride as we had done so during our previous 2 trips to Chiangmai & Kanchanaburi - refer to articles below


Photograph taken at the jetty at one of the island within Phang Nga Bay, Phuket

The next day, we spend half a day on our own and travelled by bus from Patong Beach to Phuket town . We had lunch and went shopping for cashew nuts, sea food products, clothings and miscellaneous items. We also walked along the Patong Beach, Kathu Beach, the shopping centres, etc.


Photography of my younger brother & elder sister taken at the scenic Kathu Beach, Phuket with a Star Cruise Vessel anchoring at sea

We left Phuket on 11 March 2008 for 13.30 PM flight to LCCT.

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2) HOLIDAYS AT KANCHANABURI (VIA BANGKOK) FROM 13TH - 17TH SEPTEMBER 2007

For this trip, there were three of us, namely my elder sister, Lai Meng, my younger brother, Heng Wan and myself, HK Wan. We left via Air Asia Flight AK 886 arriving Bangkok at approximately 17.30 pm and checked-in the usual Bangkok Centre Hotel (opposite Hualamphong Railway Station). At night, we had dinner & shopping at the nearby chinatown, Yaowarat Road.

The next morning, we checked out of the hotel, walked to the nearby bus stop and took a stage bus to Bangkok's Southern Bus Terminal @ Baht 11/person. We then board a 1st class coach (with toilet facilities) to Kanchanaburi @ Baht 100/person. The journey took approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes. On arrival at Kanchanaburi bus terminal, we took a trishaw ride to our guesthouse, The Riverhouse Guesthouse and stayed at a triple-bedded raft-house @ Baht 800/night with hotwater bathroom/toilet, air conditioner, fan and a balcony facing the River Kwai. It was valued for money as you can watch sun rise or sun set from the balcony. Also, whenever, boats passed by or there were river swells (due to strong wind), you can enjoy being "rocked and craddled" in the comfort of the rafthouse. This was our first stay inside a raft and it reminded me of an oldie song during my younger days - "Rock Me Gently by Andy Kim" with some of the lyrics being " Rock me gently, rock me slowly, take is easy, don't you know, that I had never been rocked/loved like this before"

In the afternoon (14 Sept 2007), we went for our first local tour arranged by River Guesthouse at Baht 120/person for transportation to Tiger Temple or Wat Pa Luangta Bua. The pick-up van took about 50 minutes and on arrival, we paid Baht 300/person being donation fees to the temple.

On arrival we were taken to the Tiger Canyon where a few tigers & cubs were taken here for their afternoon exercise from 1 - 4pm. All visitors queued up and 2 visitors were allowed at one go to be with the tigers for photography or human contacts with the tigers within the fenced compound. However, you have to hand over your camera to the handlers who will take the photographs using your camera. You can go in as many times as you like but you have to queue again. We went in twice to be photographed and humanly touch with the tigers.

At about 4pm, visitors were allowed to walk with the tiger on its way back to the tiger cages. Along the way, you will meet herds of other animals such as buffaloes, wild pigs, wild goats, horses, peacocks, etc. These animals were fed with animal pellets along the roads. There were also two playful tiger cubs where visitors were allowed to stroke or carry them if you wished to. These two tiger cubs were very playful and sometimes 'howling' at each other.

The half day afternoon tour to the Tiger Temple was worth every cent. I would recommend you to visit here if you are in Kanchanaburi. You will surely enjoy it.


Myself taken with an adult tiger at tiger canyon, Tiger Temple or Wat Pa Luangta Bua, Kanchanaburi


My elder sister walking with the tiger (my younger brother & myself following behind) with a Buddhist Monk leading the way.

The next morning, we booked a full day local tour @ Baht 1000/person and visited the following places,

a) Erawan Falls - a spectacular 7-tiered waterfall dropping down over 1,500 Metres. It was located within Erawan National Park - about 65 KM from Kanchanaburi. You can swim in some of the pools as some caucasians do. The top level of the falls was said to resembe a three-headed elephant called "Erawan" in Thai which was riden by Indra in Hindy mythology. The falls are photogenic and said to be one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Thailand.

b) Elephant riding & trekking across a river, passing villages and difficult terrains

c) Bamboo Rafting - a 30 minutes ride with 2 perso per raft along the river.

d) The Krasae Cave which housed sacred Buddha images, was located approximately 55 kilometres from Kanchanaburi, beside the surviving remnants of the Death Railway overlooking Khwae Noi River near Wang Pho Railway Station. The cave was within walking distance from the railway tracks of Wang Pho Railway Station.

e) Death Railway- Constructed by the local & allied POW's, this part of the railway was one of the most interesting sections still in commission today.. You can also enjoy the nice sceneries of the mountain & river at this location.

f) Bridge over the River Kwai - This famous bridge from the movie of the same name was about 4km north of Kanchanaburi, crossing the Kwai Yai river. The original railway construction material was brought from Java by the Japanese Army and assembled at the River Kwai by Allied prisoners of war. The bridge was bombed several times in 1945 and was also rebuilt after the war. The curved spans of the bridge are the original sections. An estimated 16,000 war prisoners and 49,000 forcibly recruited labourers died during the construction of the bridge and the Death Railway that leads to Burma (now Myanmar).


Myself - photograph taken at one of the scenic spots at Erawan Waterfall

My younger brother & myself rafting along the river at the nearby Kanchanaburi Elephant Camp

Photograph of my younger brother & elder sister taken with a 70 years old elephant with 2 huge ivory tusks.

Myself taken with the infamous Bridge over the River Kwai

Kanchanaburi is a very nice quite place for visitors. You will meet all nationalities of friendly backpackers including Israeli Jews, Aussies, Kiwis, Germans, British, Swedish, etc. Almost all visitors stayed at cheap guesthouses or raft houses along the River Kwai. Food, clothings, souveniers, etc. are among the cheapest in the whole of Thailand. You will definately enjoy your stay at Kanchanaburi, Thailand as we did.

We left Kanchanaburi on 16 September 2007 via express bus but at a lower fare of Baht 77/person directly to Bangkok's Southern Bus Terminal and then took another town bus to the same hotel (Bangkok Centre Hotel) for our final shopping at Bangkok prior to our departure for LCCT on 17 September 2007 via Air Asia Flight AK 883 departing at 3.15 pm.

We enjoyed our cheap budget holidays at Kanchanaburi (and also shopping at Bangkok).

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Myself - photograph taken at Donedao Hilltribe Cultural Garden, Tonpheung, Bokeo, Lao PDR

3) HOLIDAYS AT CHIANGMAI (and Golden Triangle, Chiangrai) from 26th - 30th May 2007.

As this trip was during the school holidays, my younger sister and a teacher joined us again and thus, there were the same four of us (similar to the Phuket Holidays - above)

We left on Air Asia Foight AK 896 arriving at Chiangmai at approx. 11.00am and checked into CM Blue House. This guesthouse was recommended by my elder sister-in-law who stayed here a few months earlier. It was owned and managed by two Americans friends, i.e. Tim Riley & Tony Leeds. It was located in the heart of the city and within walking distance to Chiangmai's tourist attractions, shopping malls, the Sunday night market and many of the oldest wats. It has a variety of amenities such restaurant & bar, tours and trekking, hair saloon, wireless internet and laundry services. However, at the time of our visit, there were very few air-conditioned rooms and these were mainly leased to long term guests.

Our guestrooms were clean & tidy with hot water bath & toilet facilities and fan and the rates reasonably cheap totalling Baht 2600 for two double rooms for 4 nights.

The next day on 27 may 2007, we booked a full day tour to Chiangmai-Chiangrai Golden Triangle, etc. @ Baht 650/person. The tour package took us to a Hot Spring at Maekajan, various temples such as Wat Phra That Chedi Luang, and then at The Golden Triangle at Sop Ruak; a small town about 18KM north of Chiangrai. It was where the borders of Thailand, Myanmar & Laos meet along the Mae Khong River. Here we took a speed boat cruise along the Mae Khong river @ Baht 300/person and another Baht 20 Baht (without an official visa) to visit Donesao Hilltribe Cultured Garden, Tonpheung Bokeo, Lao PDR. This was my first step into Laotian Territory. We were given half hour visit/shopping for Laotian souveniors, snake brandy, handicrafts, clothings & garments, etc.

The speedboat later proceeded to the Ruak River (a tributary of the Mae Khong) where the border of Thailand and Myanyar met. Along the way, you will passed by a huge statue of a sitting Golden Buddha as well as a Casino Resort at Myanmar. After lunch, the tour took us to Mai Sai where you can cross over to Tachilek in Myanmar for shopping. However, we did not cross over to Myanmar; we shopped at Mai Sai. One of the foreign tourist crossed over to Myanmar as her tourist visa in Thailand will expire soon and she need a new visa for her extended stay in Thailand. I am sure she enjoyed more backpacking holidays at the tourism friendly paradise in Thailand.

The tour package also included visit to minority tribe villages of Lisu and Karens as well as the handicraft & souveniors shops

We left Mae Sai at about 4.30pm and reached Chiangmai at about 8.00pm. It was rather a tiring and boring 3 1/2 hours journey (with only a toilet stop) along the hilly and winding road which made us feel rather dizzy and uncomfortable due to the hot weather.

Photograph of my elder sister, Lai Meng, my younger brother, Heng Wan, my younger sister, Lai Ling & myself, HK Wan taken at the jetty at Tonphuen Bokeo, Lao Peoples Democratic Republic

Myself & my younger brother enjoying our elephant trekking ride

On 28 May 2007, we joined another local tour @ Baht 700/person. This tour included a visit to the Mae Taeng Elephant Camp with elephant shows, elephant taking bath in the river, elephant playing football, elephant art painting with the assistance of their handlers and other humourous and skillful acts by elephants . The painting were then sold by auction to the visitors. After the elephant show, the FUN begins, i.e. photography with elephants, elephants lifting humans, etc. Thereafter, the elephant trekking ride with 2 persons per elephant for almost an hour. The trekking included crossing over the river, trekking over over rough terrains, uphill, downhill, etc. that human beings cannot even achieved, passing through the forest, lychee orchard, the nearby villages. During the trekking, you can also buy bananas for the elephants @ Baht 20 per bunch and the elephant took a few seconds to grub it. It was my most enjoyable elephant ride in Thailand.

After that, we had a 20 minutes ox cart ride to the lunch venue (within the elephant camp); followed by an hour rafting along the river; all four of us shared a bamboo raft and we were provided with a "Vietnamese' headgear to shelter us from the blazing sunrays. The elephant show, trekking, ox cart ride, lunch and rafting within Mae Taeng Elephant Camp were well worth your money.

After exiting from the elephant camp, the tour company recommended a optional visit to the monkey training school cum monkey show @ baht 200/person. The show was for about 30 minutes. The Monkey school was only a gimmick for the tour guide to earn extra cash. I do not recommend you to watch this show if you are visiting Chiangmai as it was not worth it.

Our last and final visit for the day was to the Sai Nam Phung Orchid Nursury and Butterfly farm. Chiang Mai city's largest orchid nursery, home to innumerable species of orchids. This farm was said to possess some of the most beautiful and rarest varieties of orchids. The rare Vanda Coerulea which is more commonly known as "Pure White" orchid was also present in the farm. All visitors had an opportunity to admire these exotic and beautiful plants all year round.

Sai Nam Phung Orchid Nursery and Butterfly Farm, Chiang Mai also had special butterfly enclosures, where tourists can see exotic species of beautiful butterflies in their natural environment. It also houses a few rare breeds of butterflies. The farm also offers visitors a wide variety of souvenirs, like the gold-plated orchid and butterfly ornaments.

My sisters, my younger brother & myself rafting at a river within Mae Taeng Elephant Camp

On 29 May 2007, we went on our own walking to the nearby tourist attractions, such as:

a) Wat Chiang Mun - Chiangmai's oldest Royal Temple built in 1296 and contained a white quartz Buddha Image in Lanna style.

b) Wat Chedi Luang which used to house the revered Emerald Buddha Image now enshrined in Bangkok's Wat Phra Kaeo. This temple was the site of an enormous 280 feet pagoda and partially destroyed by an earthquake in 1545.

c) Wat Phra Sing - dating back from 1345 and one of the focal points of Songkran festivities every year on April 13 - 15, where people bathe the Phra Buddha Statue.

We enjoyed our stay at Chiangmai especially the Elephant show and Elephant trekking/ride, etc. and we would recommend this tour package whenever you are in Chiangmai. Chiangmai is a nice place to visit in Thailand. It has good and cheap food, reasonably priced souveniors, dried mangoes, clothings, garments, handcrafts. You must visit their weekend night market and Night Bazaar, shopping etc as you can get reasonable priced goods if you are a good bargainer.

My last visit to Chiangmai was in March 2003 (with my two sisters, my wife and son) and I hope to return here in another few years, perhaps with my family whereby we can visit the Chiangmai Night Safari and not forgetting the enjoyable elephant trekking.

We left Chiangmai on 30 May 2007 via Air Asia Flight AK 897 departing at 11.05 am and arrived at LCCT at about 3.00 pm.

Posted by HK Wan on 1st June 2008

email: hengkei@gmail.com

FREE & EASY TRAVEL TO BALI, INDONESIA - 23RD - 27TH NOVEMBER 2007

Ground Zero Monument in Legian, Kuta, Bali showing the names of all 202 people of various nationalities killed in the terrorist bombing.

The 2002 Bali bombings occurred on 12 October 2002 in the tourist district of Kuta on the Indonesian island of Bali. The attack was the deadliest act of terrorism in the history of Indonesia, killing 202 people, 164 of whom were foreign nationals, and 38 Indonesian citizens. A further 209 people were injured.

The attack involved the detonation of three bombs: a backpack-mounted device carried by a suicide bomber; a large car bomb, both of which were detonated in or near popular nightclubs in Kuta; and a third much smaller device detonated outside the United States consulate in Denpasar, causing only minor damage.

Various members of Jemaah Islamiyah, a violent Islamic group, were convicted in relation to the bombings, including three individuals who were sentenced to death. Abu Bakar Bashir, the alleged spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiyah, was found guilty of conspiracy, and sentenced to two and a half years imprisonment. Riduan Isamuddin, generally known as Hambali and the suspected former operational leader of Jemaah Islamiyah, is in U.S. custody in an undisclosed location, and has not been charged in relation to the bombing or any other crime.


Photograph of myself & my elder sister holding a python snake taken at Turtle Island, Nusa Dua, Bali


Photograph of myself taken at Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK) Cultural Park,

Situated on a limestone escarpment overlooking the South Bali tourist region, Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park showed the art and culture of the Island of the Gods amid dramatic natural backdrops and breathtaking panoramic vistas. Dominating the park was Wisnu, a bust of a Hindu deity constructed from giants slabs of copper and brass. Representing the divine force responsible for the protection of the universe, the 22 meter Wisnu figure was a modern rendering of an ancient cultural tradition. The companion piece, Garuda, represent the giant bird which transports Wisnu, a symbol of both freedom and selfless devotion.The two 25-meter natural limestone pillars comprising the Gapura Batu, at the entrance gate to the complex, were carved with images taken from the Ramayana, the Mythical cycle of stories forming the dramatic basis of most Balinese art forms. The base-relief carving on the gate depict scenes from the Wayang, the shadow puppet theatre unique to Bali and neighbouring Java.


Photograph of myself taken at the Tanah Lot Temple, Bali.

The temple was built on a small promontory which is only accessible at low tide. During high water the rock takes the appearance of a large boat at sea. Sunset is the best time to visit Tanah lot, when the golden red skies frame the temple and waves crash into the rocks.

Tanah Lot means "Land in the Middle of the sea" in Balinese. The temple sat on a huge offshore rock which has been shaped continuously over the years by the ocean tide. Tanah Lot was said to be the work of the 15th century priest Nirartha. The story goes that during his travels along the south coast he saw the rock-island's beautiful setting and rested there. Some fishermen saw him, and bought him gifts. Nirartha then spent the night on the little island. Later he spoke to the fishermen and told them to build a shrine on the rock for he felt it to be a holy place to worship the Balinese sea gods.
The Tanah Lot temple has been an important part of Balinese mythological history for centuries. At the base of the rocky island, poisonous sea snakes are believed to guard the temple from evil spirits and intruders. It is said that one giant snake protects the temple. It is believed that this snake was created from Nirartha’s scarf when he established the island.


Photograph of myself, my elder sister, my younger sister & my younger brother taken at sunset, Tanah Lot Temple, Bali.


The beautiful landscapped garden of Matahari Bungalow, Legian, Kuta.


Photograph of the Malaysians wearing "Balinese Sarongs" attire taken at one of the Hindu Temples. - Myself, my elder sister, my nephew and his father (my younger brother).


Photograph taken at the scenic view of Mount Batur, Kintamani, Bali

Kintamani was one of the prime tourism destinations in Bali. It was an active volcano, Mount Batur with its crater, Lake Batur and its beautiful landscapes around it. The volcano was active with eruptions in 1917, another in 1926/27 and again in 1963. Nearby Kintamani were other attractions such as Penelokan Sightseeing and Toyabungkah, Jati Temple, and Batur Temple. The mountain area was really beautiful, exotic, romantic, tranquility and ... religious ! It has a height 1500 meters of the sea level with fresh and cool temperatures. We can have local food in one of the local restaurants.

We also visited the Sacred Baths and Holy Springs of Tirta Empul. Tirta Empul was a favoured pilgrimage site of Balinese Hindus as the source of it's waters were believed be of magical origin. Balinese folklore recalls countless examples of healing and miracles attributed to the 'Luids' like qualities of the water.




Photograph of myself taken at Kuta Beach, Bali.

Kuta with its daily spectacular sunsets was also the centre of nightlife activities in Southern Bali. It was also a shopping mecca, with its lines of shops, boutiques, and galleries. restaurants and pubs line up the streets as well as Beachfront hotels; both luxurious and budget and small inexpensive homestay to accomodate all tourists.

The beach of Kuta was one of the first favorite beaches discovered by tourists. Most visitors to Kuta come for leisure and pleasure drawn by Bali's laid-back atmosphere and the stretch of sandy beach which was sometimes dangerous for swimming because of strong undertow current. However the area was renowned for its surfing, the several mile long beach break between Kuta and Petitenget offering a range of waves. Scuba diving and game fishing excursions were also sought after and freely available. Kuta also offers bungy jumping on the beach, and boasts a beautifully landscaped waterpark full of thrilling rides and slides. Horse-riding along the beach at sunset was a popular pastime.


Our Travel
Our travel via Air Asia during the school holidays on 23rd - 27th November 2007 was a special "FOC" tickets - courtesy of Air Asia. Our all inclusive returned fare (excluding Bali Airport taxes) was RM 175/person. There were five of us, namely, my elder sister (Lai Meng), my younger sister (Lai Ling), my younger brother (Heng Wan) & his son (Wai Onn) and myself (Heng Kei).

We stayed at The Matahari Bungalow, Legian Kuta - about 15 minutes walk to Kuta Beach. Our accomodation was for double rooms @ USD 26/night and triple room @ USD 34/night for 4 nights and included two-ways airport pickup and breakfast. The Matahari Bungalow has a large landscaped garden with beautiful flowers, various fruit trees and a beautiful swimming pool with pool bar.

Our stay at Matahari Bungalow was quite and peaceful and we would strongly recommend you to stay here.

On 24 November 2007, we booked a Kijang Van for a full day tour of Bali to visit various tourism attractions beginning with Nusa Dua, Turtle Island, Uluwatu temple, Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park, Besakih temple, Kintamani and finally the sunset at Tanah Lot Temple. We also visited a number of Balinese Hindu temples during the journey.
My elder sister will never forget the visit to Uluwatu temple. The moment we reached there, the tour guide advise us to be very careful with the monkeys as they will snatch your belongings especially optical glases. As it was extremely hot during midday, my sister rested under a tree and suddenly, a monkey appeared above and snatched her glasses. She managed to get it back from one of the local boys (believe to be the monkey's owner). The moral of the story was the monkeys were trained to snatch your belongings and to get it back, you need to reward them,

Posted by HK Wan - May 2008.

FREE AND EASY TRAVEL TO CHINA - Sanya, Haikou, Jiangmen, Kaiping & Shunde

The Guanyin Statue of Hainan, also known as Guan Yin of the South Sea of Sanya - a 108 metre tall statue of the bodhisattva Guan Yin, sited on the south coast of China's island province of Hainan in the Nanshan Culture Tourism Zone near the Nanshan Temple west of Sanya. The statue has three faces; one side faces inland and the other two sides faced the South China Sea, to represent blessing and protection by Guan Yin of China and the whole world. One aspect depicts Guan Yin cradling a sutra in the left hand and gesturing the Vitarka Mudra with the right, the second with her palms crossed, holding a string of prayer beads, and the third holding a lotus. The mantra Om mani padme hum was written in Tibetan script around each aspects' halo. This is currently the third tallest statue in the world.

The statue took six years to build and was enshrined on 24 April 2005, with the participation of 108 eminent monks from various Buddhist groups in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao and Mainland China, and tens of thousands of pilgrims. The delegation also included monks from the Theravada and Vajrayana traditions.

Situated 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Sanya City, Hainan Province, the Nanshan (South Mountain) Temple ranks as one of the main attractions in the Nanshan Culture Tourism Zone. Occupying an area of 400 mu (66 acres), it is the biggest Buddhist preaching site established since the founding of the People's Republic of China.Nestling at the foot of Nanshan (South Mountain) Mountain (an auspicious region famous for Chinese Buddhist culture with emphasis on longevity-happiness), the temple was completed on 12 April, 1998, the 2,000th anniversary year of Buddhism coming to China.

With its total floor space of 40,000 sq meters (10 acres), Nanshan Temple boasts several replicas of Tang Dynasty (618-907) architecture. The Renwang Gate (Mountain Gate), the entrance to the temple, has two figures of Buddha standing there as guards. As well, seven Buddhist figures are enshrined in the Doushuai Adytum (or Hall). The Maitreya Buddha (Sanskrit, Mile in Chinese) is in the middle of the Hall with two Bodhisattvas on each side.

Around these three Buddhist images stand the Four Heavenly Kings, who act as Buddhist guardians with duties to protect all living creatures and to bring favorable weather and ample harvest. From the Doushuai Adytum, a porch brings visitors to Jin Tang, also called in the time of the Tang Dynasty, Daxiongbaodian (Hall of Ceremony). Here are enshrined the three main Buddha images: the Sakyamuni, the Bhaisajyaguru (Chinese Yaoshiwang) and the Amitabha (Chinese Amituo). These two halls comprise the main parts of the Temple.

In addition, there are some other enchanting sights in Nanshan Temple:
The Golden Jade Kwan-yin StatueThis amazing national treasure is a 3.8-meter（13-feet) high Golden Jade Kwan-yin Statue. It is covered with 100 kg (221 pounds) of gold and silver, embedded with 120 carats of South African diamonds plus countless jewels, and containing two sacred Buddhist relics. Sea Watch TerraceJust in front of the Nanshan Temple is a terrace directly facing the South China Sea, from which visitors can admire the vast seascape and meanwhile view the spectacular 108-meter (354-feet) high copper statue of the South China Sea Kwan-yin Bodhisattva.

Nanshan Temple is a comparatively new temple which combines Buddhist culture, garden architectures, and recreational facilities with the spirit of peace, tranquility, happiness and harmony. And it must be a wise choice for visitors who wish to pay their respects to Buddhist culture while traveling in Sanya.

Photograph of myself taken at the main entrance, The Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone, Sanya, Hainan Island.

Nanshan is a significant place in China’s history of Buddhism. It is said that Jian Zhen, a famous Tang-dynasty Buddhist monk, made five unsuccessful voyages to Japan to promote Buddhism. It was on the sixth time that he drifted to Nanshan. One and a half years later, he finally got to Japan. Inside the Nanshan Buddhist Culture Garden was the Nanshan Buddhist Temple, the biggest one built since the founding of the new China in 1949. The Big Heavenly Adobe and the Small Heavenly Adobe are important parts of the Nanshan Cultural Garden. Featuring green forests, fancy rocks and mysterious caves, the garden is an attractive place for both Taoist & Buddhism believers and tourists from home and abroad. Nanshan, with its uniqueness and beauty, is now a tourist destination attracting more and more tourists. People can not only enjoy themselves in the great ecological environment with sun, sand, sea, but can also ,deep within the heart, the real beauty, peace, and harmony of Buddhist culture.

Nanshan Temple is a comparatively new temple which combines Buddhist culture, garden architectures, and recreational facilities with the spirit of peace, tranquility, happiness and harmony. And it must be a wise choice for visitors who wish to pay their respects to Buddhist culture while traveling in Sanya.

The vegetarian food in Nanshan Temple is very famous, including many nutritious dishes made of wild fungus, konjak, and bean products.

Photograph taken from Nanshan Buddhist Temple showing two of the 3-sided faces of Guan Yin Statue.

Photograph of myself taken at one of the scenic spots within Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone

Travelling from Sanya City to the Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone was a breeze. From our budget hotel, Hunfeng Hotel, we just walked across the road and took a mini bus which headed right up to the main entrance. The fare was reasonable at RMB 10 each way but the entrance fee was a staggering RMB 150/person but it is worth it (if you have been there). The journey took slightly less than 1 hour. The weather was cooling when we were there on 19 January 2007. The three of us, my elder brother (Heng Wah), my elder sister (Lai Meng) & myself (Heng Kei) spend almost 4 hours within the Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone and we did not even sweat or feel exhausted.

Sanya City is located at the southernmost tip of Hainan Island and to the east of Vietnam. Sanya City is the second largest city on Hainan Island covering an area of 1.919 sq. m with a population of 481,200 and having 19 bays and over 40 islets lying along a 209 kilometers coast line.Hainan is often called the “the Hawaii of the East". It has 3 famous beaches, i.e. Dandonghai Bay, Yalong Bay & Sanya Bay.

We took a bus to the nearby Sanya Dandonghai Beach @ RMB 1 per person. The beach was so beautiful that MISS WORLD, the world most watched annual premiere beauty pageant was held at Sanya for 4 years, i.e. 2003, 2004, 2005 and again in 2007. For the 2007 Miss World, it was won by Ms. Zhang Zilin of China.

Photograph of my elder sister taken at Dandonghai Beach, Sanya.

At Sanya, we stayed at a very reasonable budget hotel (Hunfeng Hotel) with a very good location for food, transportation, shopping, etc. The rate @ RMB 90.00 per night (triple-sharing) was unbelieveable cheap. We stayed at Sanya for 2 nights and spent another 2 nights at Haikou at The Civil Aviation Hotel. This hotel was also very conveniently located for shopping, food, tranportation, etc. and reasonable cheap at RMB 240.00 (triple sharing with 3 breakfast). It is more convenient for travelling to and from Haikou Airport as it was the terminal for the airport bus @ RMB 15/person each way.

At Haikou, we visited Wugong Temple, The Tomb of Hai Rui, Haikou Gongyuan, etc.

Photograph of me taken at The Tomb of Hai Rui

Tomb of Hai Rui was situated in the western outskirts of Haikou City, 5 kilometers away. It represented people's esteem towards Hai Rui, an upright and uncorrupted official. It was originally built in 1589 during the Ming Dynasty (1368 -1644) with an area of over 4,000 square meters.

Wugong Temple of The Five Officials Temple was situated approximately 5 kilometers (about 3.1 miles) from Haikou City, and originally constructed during the reign of Emperor Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). It was renovated during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Now, it is a place known for its sense of peace, tranquility and beauty.

The Wugong Temple was constructed to commemorate the five famous officials- Li Deyu, Li Gang, Zhao Ding, Li Guang and Hu Quan who were banished to Hainan during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and the Song Dynasty (960-1279). The main hall housed the stone statues of the five prestigious officials. On the inner pillars, there were praised couplets of the five officials. Additionally, a stone tablet that was carved with calligraphy inscriptions of Emperor Huizong, from the Song Dynasty was also displayed.

Travelling to Hainan Island.

The above travel to Hainan Island was via Tigerairways special fare of SGD 7.88/sector. There were three of us, i.e. my elder brother, Heng Wah, my elder sister, Lai Meng & myself. The total all inclusive returned fare worked out to be SGD 172.01 per person or approx. RM 400 ex-Singapore.

Our intention was to visit to visit Sanya especially the impressive 108 Metres Statue of The Goddess of Mercy or Guan Yin. If your are of Buddhism faith, you should not miss this spectacular statue of Guan Yin. SEEING IS BELIEVING. The moment you see the statue from a distance, it looks like you are seeing Guan Yin emerging from the sky (as in a number of Chinese movies). Also, the Sanya City has one of the best beaches in Asia, it was so beautiful that the Miss World Beauty Pagent was held here four times, i.e. 2003, 2004, 2005 & 2007.

During our travel in January 2007, Air Asia has not started flying to Haikou, Hainan yet so we took the best opportunity, the right time and the best pricing to visit Hainan. Now (2008 onwards), Air Asia has daily direct flights to Haikou, Hainan and I strongly recommend you to visit Sanya.

TRIP TO JIANGMEN, KAIPING & SHUNDE - 19TH TO 23RD JULY 2007

This was the fourth consectively year that I took my octogenarian father back to his childhood hometown, Jiangmen, Guangdong. There were six of us on this trip, the others being my elder sister (Lai Meng), my younger brother (Heng Wan), my elder sister-in-law (Doreen Cheong) and her octogenerian mother. Again thank you to Air Asia, all the six returned tickets (LCCT-Macau) were the special "free tickets" offered by Air Asia. We only paid an all inclusive rate of RM 255/person for this trip.

As usual my father would never miss visiting the family ancestral home at Hehou Li - about 10 minutes walk from our hotel. Normally, my octogenarian father walked very slowly but when we were going to the ancestral home, he walked even faster than us (my elder sister, my younger brother & myself) as he was too anxious to see his childhood home. However, this trip, nostalgia stuck him as the neighbours said that the entire area will be demolished "soon" by the local government for a road project. The ancestral house which was more than 100 years old may no longer exist in our next trip (We planned for March 2009). As usual, I took numerous photographs & videos of the WAN family ancestral house.

For this trip, we were welcomed by our distant relatives at Jiangmen who also visited Kuala Lumpur 3 months earlier in April 2007. We visited UNESCO World Heritage Site, i.e. the dialous or fortified watchtowers at Zili Village & Liyuan Garden both at Kaiping. We also travelled to Shunde and visited the famous Qinghui Garden.

Photographs of Dialous at Zili Village, Kaiping

(myself, my elder sister, my Jiangmen niece, my Jiangmen cousin, my younger brother, my sister-in-law and her mum, my father and another Jiangmen relative).

Kaiping Diaolou
The diaolou of Kaiping are fortified multi-storey towers, built by returning Chinese immigrants from America, Canada, Hong Kong and Malaysia. They display a fusion of Chinese and Western decorative forms. The towers were constructed in the 1920s and 1930s, when there were more than 3,000 of these structures. The diaolou served as housing and as protection against forays by bandits (and later the Japanese). Three separate forms can be distinguished: communal towers, residential towers and watch towers. Of the approximately 1,800 diaolou still standing today, 20 of them in the following areas make up the designated site: - Sanmenli Village- Zili Village & the Fang Clan Watch Tower- Majianlong Village Cluster- Jinjiangli Village Tower houses.

An entry fee of RMB 50/person to Zili Village, Tangkou town was charged. Since, these watch towers of dialous were gazetted as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007, there have been increasingly local Chinese tourists and foreigners.

The diaolou were used for defence in times of upheaval. They flourished particularly in the late Qing dynasty (1644-1911), when countless local wars ravaged China – the bloody Taiping rebellion (1851-1864) to cite but one – and during what is known as the Warlord period, when power-hungry military leaders wreaked havoc in the country, between 1916 and 1926.
Double-Happiness and Acanthus leaves.

Their construction was financed by emigrants. At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, Kaiping was a centre of Chinese emigration. Many of its citizens worked as coolies in Southeast Asian mines and plantations, participated in the California gold rush and railroad construction across the American continent, or opened laundries, restaurants and shops.

Returning home, they introduced the extraordinary composite architecture of the diaolou, which melds, for instance, auspicious Chinese motifs like the Double-Happiness symbol with acanthus leaves or classical colonnades from the west. They also imported cement and steel into the region, which turned out to have a determining impact on this unusual architectural style, with reinforced concrete making cantilevered construction possible and facilitating domes and other rounded forms. This was a great novelty. Incidentally, the expression “upside-down wok” is used in Chinese literature of the time to designate a cupola.

Liyuan Garden, a super garden of overseas Chinese
Liyuan Garden – a bright pearl in the sea of gardens designed by Overseas Chinese, is the one with unique architectural style which can well match tbe Four Famous Gardens in Guangdong. Situated at Tangkou Town, Kaiping City, a noted hometown for overseas Chinese, and covering an area of about 20 mu, Liyuan Garden is a garden villa of the late Mr. Xie Weili, an overseas Chinese resided in the United States. This garden was built in the early 20th century. Based on the Grand View Garden described in the Chinese classic,, a Dream of Red Mansions”, Liyuan takes in much of the Chinese traditional garden architecture and integrate it with the feature of European and American villas of its time, a successful combination of Chinese and the West. It aIso enjoys the reputation of being a Grand View Garden only smaller in size.

Qinghui garden was one of the four famous gardens of Guangdong in Qing Dynasty. It is situated at the side of Qinghui Road, Daliang. It is a provincial preservation of cultural relics .The original owner of the garden was Mr. Huang Shijun, a No. 1 Scholar (the title conferred on one who came first in the highest imperial examination) in Ming Dynasty. Afterward, Mr. Long Yingshi, a Jinshi (the successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) bought the garden, under the aborative constructive of the Long's generations, the structure of the garden was formed.

Later, its total area was enlarged to 22,000 square meters. Inside the garden, the elegant scenery mixed with blue water, green trees, engraved windows, rock hills, small bridges, winding corridors join the pavilions etc. The great sight spots are: Boat Hall, Bixi Thatched Cottage, Clear Riffle Pavilion, Time Saving Study, Bamboo Garden, Guiji Room, Fine Calligraphy Hall, Red Lotus Study, Feilai Peak, Muying Gully and Liuxiang Hall etc. Its reveals the typical features of ancient Chinese courtyard dark green tree leaves cover the boles, the engraving, painting and fancy artworks for decoration are everywhere.

We left Jiangmen for Macau on 22 July 2007 via ferry from Jiangmen Port. Our Jiangmen's relatives who were working for Guangdong CIQ (Customs Immigration & Quarantine) and based at Jiangmen Port sent us off to the ferry and everything were well taken care of. It was a breeze to clear Chinese Immigration at Jiangmen Port unlike Gongbei or Shenzhen where crowds were everywhere and the mad rush for immigration clearance and another better systematic clearance at Macau or Hong Kong.

The journey from Jiangmen Port to Macau via the Si Kiang or West River took approx. 2 hours. The cost of the one-way trip was RMB 60/person. On arrival at Macau Inner Harbour, Immigration clearance was again very orderly and easy. at Macau Inner Harbour. Our octogenarian father and my sister-in-law's mother (another octogenarian) were very pleased with the immigation formalities and I would strongly recommend the ferry trip from Macau to Jiangmen or vice-versa if you are visiting Jiangmen or Wuyi with elderly people.

At Macau, we stay at East Asia Hotel, by walking up a pedestrian bridge nearby; less than 5 minutes walk away from the Inner Harbour. At Macau, we visited the usual places of interest such as Ruins of St. Paul, Senando Square, etc. We left Macau the next day via Air Asia Flight AK 51 at 10.45am.

Posted May 2008 by HK Wan, Klang, Selangor, Malaysia.

Email: hengkei@gmail.com

Free and Easy China Holidays - Jiangmen, Xinxing, Yunfu, Shaoguan, Qingyuan & Panyu (via Guangzhou)

Photograph taken inside Nanhua Temple or South Flower Temple, Qujiang District, Shaoguan

Nanhua Temple was founded in 502AD and had a history of over 1500 years. The temple became famous through the activities of its sixth patriarch, Huineng (638-713), who sat in meditation here for 36 years before suddenly reaching enlightenment. His successors spread his doctrine of Nanzong Chanfo, or Chan Buddhism, throughout China from where it filtered into Japan as Zen.



The statue of Guanyin was beautifully sculptured with stately and kind expression, it was worshipped by pious men, women and tourists. On the night of every birthday of Guanyin, the first and fifteenth day of a lunar month and other important festivals, the place will be lighted with spotlights on the statue of Guanyin facing the sea. The bright golden light can be seen from several miles away and form an auspicious atmosphere. Its construction was completed on 23 October 1994.

The Guanyin pavilion beside Guanyin statue was built on 20 October (the 19th day of the Chinese Lunar calender or the birthday of Guanyin). It was grand and statedly with antique flavours. it was really an elaborate architectural artwork. all wood carvings inside the pavilion, including windows, doors, wooden square blocks inserted between the top of a column and a crossbeam, shrines and altars were all made of rare rosewood; floor bricks weree the specially developed pseudoclassic step bricks; walls were all made by levigated old blue bricks; and the inside was decorated with 3362 elaborately painted caisson ceiling.

The Lotus Mountain or Lian Hua Shan was located in Panyu, a satellite town approx. 45 kilometres south east of Guangzhou. It gains its name after the huge stones there which got the shape of beautiful lotus. On the mountain there was an ancient town. A huge sculpture of Guanyin (Buddha of Charity) facing the sea stands at the peak of the mountain, attracting lots of adherents and tourists

In 2006, we made 2 holidays trips to Guangdong (via Macau) with details as follows:-


Trip No. 1, 11th to 15th March 2006 from Singapore via Tiger Airways with my 82 years old father, my younger & elder sister and myself. The trip was the insistence of my octogenarian father who wanted to return to place of childhood, Jiangmen. Although my father was born in Klang, Selangor (which was also my present hometown), he left for Jiangmen as a child and only returned back to Malaya in 1938 as a 14 years old child to avoid Japanese' s atrocities when the nearby capital of Guangzhou fell. Unfortunately by 1942, British Malaya also fell to the Japanese.
As an obedient son, I have taken him to Jiangmen since 2004 (Dec'04), 2005 (Jul'05) and this was my third trip (although I would prefer other Guangdong's places like Guangzhou, Zhaoqing, Foshan, Shenzhen). My two sister accompanying me suggested that we should leave our octogenarian father with his childhood friends and relatives during the day and returned at night. Thus for this trip we only stayed at Jiangmen but visited nearby town of Yunfu, Xinxing and Jiangmen.

Jiangmen is the No. 1 hometown of overseas Chinese with almost 4.0 million of them residensing in Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, USA, UK, Singapore and other countries. They were originally from Jiangmen & its wuyi (5 districts, i.e. Taishan, Kaiping, Enping, Heshan, Xinhui and Jiangmen).

The places we visited at these towns were:-

1) Yunfu - Panlong Karst Caves,
2) Xinxing - Guoen (State Grace) Temple
3) Jiangmen - Cha An Temple, Cha An Monastery & scenic spots, Baishuidai tourist spots and Chenbaisha Memorial Hall

Photograph taken inside Panlong Cave, Shizishan or Lion Mountain, Yunfu. Panlong Cave is one of the top three karst caves that have the most grand stone flower landscapes.

Guoen (State Grace) Temple - The sixth patriarch Huineng temple

Located in Dragon Hill Hot Spring Resort of Xinxing County, the State Grace Temple, a provincial level resort, was the former residence where Master Monk Huineng (638-713), the Sixth Patriarch of Zen and founder of Zen's Southern Sect passed away. The temple was first built in 683, the first year of Hongdao Period of Emperor Gao of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), as Baoen (Grace Repaying) Temple. The temple was renamed as State Grace Temple to reward Sixth Patriarch Huineng's achievement in Buddhism promotion. The Sixth Patriarch Master Monk Huineng was born in Xialu Village, Xinzhou County (the present Xinxing County) during the Tang Dynasty. After his succession from the Fifth Patriarch in private, Huineng lived a reclusive life in Sihui and Huaiji for 15 years, mainly to escape from rival infliction. Huineng had lived in his hometown till he was 24 years old. In 683, Huineng sent his disciples to build State Grace Temple. It was in 712 when Huineng passed away in his own home in Xinzhou County at the age of 76. His home town Jicheng Town in Xinxing County was renamed after him as Liuzu (Sixth Patriarch) Town in 2004.

Top - Photograph of my elder & younger sister taken with the vowing tree, Baishuidai scenic spot, Jiangmen

Right: Photograph taken at the statue of Chenbaisha, Jiangmen

Photograph taken at the scenic garden of Chenbaisha Memorial Hall, Jiangmen

Photography taken at Cha An scenic spot, Jiangmen

Fom left: my younger sister, elder sister, myself & my octogenarian father


Trip No. 2, 10th to 15th May 2006 - via Air Asia. The returned 'free of charge' tickets were the kind courtesy offered by Air Asia. I logged-in at www.airasia.com/ and managed to obtain the tickets @ RM 193.00 per person inclusive of airport taxes, fuel charges, administration charges, etc. Thank you Air Asia.

There were four of us and that included my octogenarian father, my elder brother, my elder sister and myself. Since, we had been to Jiangmen 2 months earlier (via Tiger Airways), we wanted to go to other smaller towns within Guangdong Province as well as to try travelling on Chinese Railways (instead of the usual stage buses).

On arrival at Macau at approx. 7.30 pm on 10 May 2006, we immediately rush to clear the Macau & Chinese immigrations and took the 9.30pm bus to Guangzhou. We then checked into a budget hotel (within walking distance from Guangzhou Railway Station) @ RMB 150/double room for the night. We made a reservation for this hotel during our previous trips to Shaoguan and Qingyuan on 14 May 2006. Next morning after breakfast, we proceeded to railway station and booked 4 tickets to Shaoguan @ RMB 38/person. As the rail travel were our very first in China, we were surprised that our train to Shaoguan was a double-decker train. We have also never ride on a double-decker train previously. In fact my octogenarian father did not realised that we were sitting on the upper-deck until arrival at Shaoguan. The train journey was rather pleasant but comical as the train staff were also working as part-time salesmen selling items like socks, toys, etc. They were also demonstrating their products on the train. During the journey, there were various other vendors of various food & drinks. After Shaoguan, we also travelled to Qingyuan by train. Travelling by rail in China was the cheapest means of transportation available.

We were one of the few Malaysians family who had travelled on our own to towns like Shaoguan, Qingyuan in Northern Guangdong. All our travel itineraries to tourist/scenic attractions like Qujiang, Danxia Shan, Feixia & Feilai, Lotus Mountain, etc. were by public stage buses since we are Malaysians and we can communicate with the locals in their dialects. Accomodation and food at Shaoguan and Qingyuan were very reasonable. Our budget hotels costed RMB 120 & RMB 90/double rooms at Shaoguan and Qingyuan respectively.

The places of interest we visited in these towns were:-

1) Shaoguan - Historical site of Maba Man and Maba Museum, Qujiang; Nan Hua Temple, Qujiang; Danxia Shan Scenic Spots and China Sex Museum, Danxia Shan,

2) Qingyuan - Feixia scenic spots, various Feilai temples.

3) Panyu - Lotus Mountain or Lian Hua Shan

Photographs of my father, elder sister & elder brother at Maba Man Historical Site, Qujiang, Shaoguan. Maba Man appeared between ape man and modern man in the Paleolithic Age 130,000.

Entrance of Danxia Shan scenic spot. Shaoguan

Danxia means "red cloud'; a distinctive red sandstone land formation called danxia topography. The grand Yangyuan Stone, Amazing Yinyuan Stone, tranquil Jingshi Rock, picturesque Jinjiang River and steep Bazhai Village have made Danxia Mountain world-famous. As one of the top 4 mountains in Guangdong, Danxia Mountain has been successively appointed as World Geological Park, Grade AAAA National Tourist Spot, National Geological Park of China and the No. 1 Spectacle Mountain in the Lingnan region.

A peculiar rock called Yangyuan Rock, a pillar that stands up in the sky and looks similar to a male sex organ. - Danxia Shan, Shaoguan

Photograph taken in front of China Sex Museum, Danxia Shan, Shaoguan.

Photograph taken at the Feixia Scenic Spot on the mountainous section of Beijiang River.

Qingyuan Feixia scenic area was the beautiful section of the Beijiang River, where sheer cliffs soaring into the blue sky on the both sides of the river with the white water rushing forward. It was said that there are 72 peaks along the twisted 9-km-long valley. It was located 23 km away from Qingyuan. It was also called Qingyuan Valley. Down in the valley and on the western bank stands Feilai Temple with a long history of 1 400 years

Photograph taken in front of Confucius statue at one of the Feilai Temples.

The Feijia Mountain lies 30 kilometres northeast to the town of Qingyuan. Besides forests and river valleys, Feixia Cave was located in the mountain, where there were various large temples used for the worship of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism.

A scenic spot taken at the Lotus Flower Pagoda, Lotus Mountain, Panyu